Shōgun showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo break down how season 2 will move beyond the source material. Shōgun season 1 adapts James Clavell's 1975 novel of the same name and covers the source material in its entirety. However, critical acclaim and the series becoming a record-breaking streaming hit led to Shōgun season 2 and 3 being greenlit. While this expansion is promising, it poses new challenges without having a story to directly adapt. While speaking with Empire magazine, Marks and Kondo explain how they are approaching season 2 without having source material to rely on. They discuss how season 2 is already more challenging because of this, but how it is feasible because of the opportunity to explore more characters and ideas from Clavell's original novel and from season 1. They also tease that they are on the precipice of figuring out the endgame for the new season.